magic

It’s not like high school isn’t strange enough as it is. Add a little supernatural seasoning and you get TV shows and movies where high school gets downright spooky-weird, which makes for great angst-filled horror stories.

1. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry Potter (2001-2011)
“Oh well, what’s life without a few dragons?”

It should come as no surprise that a school dedicated to the education of young witches and wizards would be filled with magical goings-on, including a whomping willow tree on the grounds (never mind an entire forbidden forest). But things got extra-strange when the Boy Who Lived enrolled. Basilisk in the basement? Check. Boggarts in the classroom? Oh yes. Centaurs, Dementors and ghosts? Of course. Even the climactic standoff, where numerous witches and wizards on both sides perished, is dubbed the Battle of Hogwarts.

Japanese magician Uchida Shinya posted this YouTube (subtitled) video where he uses an iPad with some magic tricks to briefly describe and explain the past, present, and future of human communication. The slight of hand tricks are pretty cool, but if you want to ruin the fun, just read the spoiler comments or watch it…

Magician David Blaine gets a bad rap in some circles, but I always suspect that they are secretly as fascinated by him and his acts, many of which cross the line from magic to the realm of an endurance sport-slash-public art performances, as the rest of us. Blaine gave this riveting and entertaining talk at…

Watch this video where there’s more than meets the eye to what appears to be a simple magic trick. I don’t want to spoil it for the viewer other than to say 1) Watch it, 2) Watch it until the very end, and lastly 3) Ask a friend to collect the parts of your brain…